Statista

Purpose of Software in the Age of AI

Michael Burnett argues that despite enormous increases in computing power and visible efficiency gains, software has not produced sustained macroeconomic productivity growth. Reviewing historical economic research and productivity data (citing Solow, Krugman, Gordon and others), he contends the purpose of software is to increase the density of information in digital outputs rather than to raise value output per hour. Burnett revisits the "productivity paradox," discusses Baumol's cost disease, and hypothesizes a "disengagement curve" driven by search/chat workflows. He warns that AI and LLMs will act as force multipliers for software production but are unlikely to change software's fundamental relationship to measured productivity, even as they create more digital output and new efficiencies.

Ströer Grows on Strong Out-of-Home Advertising

Ströer delivered modest H1 2026 improvements and a slightly stronger Q2, confirming full‑year guidance. H1 group revenue was €1.037bn (organic +2.7%; reported ~6%) with adjusted EBITDA €273m, adjusted EBIT €115m, adjusted consolidated result €56m and operating cash flow €161m. Core OoH Media grew strongly (revenue €491m, +8%; segment adjusted EBITDA €224m), led by DOOH (approx. 18.5% growth). Digital & Dialog Media revenue rose to €476m (Digital €208m; Dialog €267m) while segment adjusted EBITDA slipped to about €57m. DaaS & E‑Commerce softened (revenue ~€156m; adjusted EBITDA ~€11m), with Statista down organically and Asam lower. Q2 revenue was ~€542m (+7%) with adjusted EBITDA ~€154m and net income €29.7m (-8%). Management expects continued OoH momentum in Q3, confirmed the full‑year outlook, and remains subject to takeover speculation.

Google Messages fixes long-press menu and partial copy

Google has updated its Messages app to redesign the long-press context menu and allow partial text selection inside messages. The new long-press menu consolidates actions (reply, forward, share) into a single view, adds a ‘Select More’ option, and applies a background blur when opened. Users can now press and hold a word to enable a resizable text selection box to copy parts of a message — previously only whole-message copying was possible. A beta tester discovered the changes and shared them on Reddit; the rollout has not reached all beta testers yet. The article was published on t3n on 2026-08-07.